Page 14 of Dancing With Distraction

She sobs harder and guilt wraps around me, choking me. I’m always in control. Always. “Let me help you up.” I slowly move towards her, not wanting to upset her further, and when she doesn’t protest, I gently scoop her against me and wrap my arms around her. “I got lost in the moment,” I mutter. I lower her dress and lift her into my arms. She winces in pain as I carry her from the room and upstairs to my bedroom. I don’t usually share this space with her. We have different rooms for when she stays over because this is my sanctuary, the only place where I get peace.

I lay her on the bed and begin the care routine I’ve practised so well. She doesn’t respond, staring blankly at the ceiling. I’ve pushed it too far.

I need to get Victoria out of my mind.

Once Vivian drifts off to sleep, I head downstairs, where her parents are in the drawing room speaking with Leonid, my Sovietnik. They turn as I enter. “Apologies. Vivian has gone for a lie-down. Migraine.”

Her mother places her glass of wine down. “I’ll check on her.”

I shake my head, and she pauses. “She’s asleep.”

“Actually, now might be a good time for us to talk,” says Ronnie, and I inwardly groan. He’s been trying almost as hard as my father to pin me down for an update on Vivian and me. “Are things progressing with you and my daughter?”

I loosen my tie. “We’re moving in the right direction.”

He laughs. “Can we move a little faster?”

“What’s the rush?” I ask, forcing a smile. He wouldn’t be so keen if he realised my plans to take over his empire. Ronnie runs most of London’s underground world, and I want it so that my father and I can take over, but finding out who the members of his circle are proving difficult.

“It’s been a few months.”

“Six, to be precise,” I tell him, filling a glass with whiskey and not bothering to offer him one.

“Exactly, and I’m keen to welcome you into our family.”

I snort, turning my back to him and staring out the window. He’s more than likely planning to try to take over my businesses. We’re playing the same game in a world where it’s a case of dog-eat-dog to survive, and I will come out on top. “Marshall will drive you home.”

I shower, removing the scent of Vivian from my skin. We spent the day ‘making love’, something I avoid where possible, but she wasn’t fit for anything else after the injuries I’d caused her yesterday, and I felt I owed her some tenderness.

By the time I step outside in my gym gear, Nikoli and Marshall are waiting for me. I have a gym here at the house, but I need a change of scenery to try and rid my mind of Victoria, so Nik suggested we go to the one he uses.

The gym is busy, and I instantly regret my decision. I head straight for a running machine and put my earbuds in. This is exactly what I need, and I push myself extra hard as a punishment for not only breaking Vivian’s trust in me as her Dom, but also for letting my mind wander to a woman I don’t even know, one who’s clearly insane.

Tori

“You don’t even own a pair of trainers,” says Phoebe pointedly.

“Yes, I do. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting to get fit,” I tell her, stuffing my things into a bag and throwing it over my shoulder. “And they have a sauna with my name on it.”

She grins. “Now, there’s the Tori I know. If you wanted to go just to relax, you could’ve said. You weirded me out with talk of a workout.”

We get to the gym ten minutes later and head straight for the running machines. I put my earbuds in and start off on a walk. I never come to the gym. In fact, I actively avoid it at all costs, even though I have a membership I pay for each month.

I manage ten minutes and a very short run before I’m panting and choking on fresh air. I slow to a stop, and Phoebe gives me a knowing smirk. “I’m just gonna hit the sauna,” I tell her with a laugh. “Meet you in half an hour?” She nods, and I head back into the changing rooms to change into my bikini. I wrap a towel around my waist to hide myself from curious eyes and grab a spare to hang outside the sauna.

Inside, it’s empty, and I relax, loosening my towel slightly and taking a seat. I close my eyes and images of Dmitry flick through my mind on replay. The man is completely arrogant and absolutely nothing like the person I see myself with. I scoff. Like I could ever imagine anyone wanting me.

“Did you follow me here?” I contemplate keeping my eyes shut, but I force them open to make sure I’m not imagining Dmitry’s stern voice.

To my surprise, he’s right in front of me, in gym clothes. “Sorry?”

“You heard me, Victoria. Did you follow me here?”

I tip my head to one side. “How do I know you didn’t follow me, and this isn’t some kind of narcissistic question?” He’s wrong—I didn’t know he came to this gym because I never come myself. And after a ten-minute lecture from Phoebe after the gate incident, I promised I’d steer clear of him. The last thing I need is for her to alert Marcus to any of this.

“You’re the one stalking me,” he snaps.

I sit straighter. “I am not. You turned up to my work.”

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